By Ceilli Briggs, Year 7

We need to stop abandoning our earth’s animals.

Think before buying your family member an animal,

will they look after the animal and care for it or will

they neglect it and possibly kill it? A pet is not just for

Christmas, they are for life.

Take Molly, for example: she was abandoned by her

owners. She was sitting on her own for weeks until

being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned

animals are stockpiled. Molly was bitten by a pit bull

and almost died. The vet was about to put her down

when she saw that this horse was different so she

fought all night to save her and now she is on her way

to recovery.

Christmas is one of the worst times for animal

abandonment. Recent figures from the RSPCA

revealed that, on average, three pets are abandoned

every hour over the Christmas period.

The reason for this is simple. People buy these

animals as surprise gifts for people who don’t really

want them, or they don’t really realise just how

expensive it can be to look after and feed an animal.

So think carefully when you are shopping for your

loved ones for Christmas this year. Don’t allow those

puppy dogs to lead you into a decision that you (and

the poor animal) will ultimately regret.

DON’T ABANDON ANIMALS!

Bauble Challenge THE TORCH bumped into a Christmas tree recently and a few baubles were lodged

inside! Can you help us track them down?

Versions of the word ‘bauble’ have appeared in three different places within this issue (not including this page!). Can you help us to locate them all?

Have a good look and bring your copy to Miss Taylor if you find them all. The first five winners will receive a small prize; others will receive e-Praise points.

Dear Parent/Carer,

As the end of term approaches, students and staff are very much looking forward to a well deserved Christmas holiday.

The Y11s have just finished their GCSE preliminary examinations and will be given the results at the beginning of next term. Following recent changes to the examination system in England, these examination results will form the basis for many examination entry decisions for our students. Similarly, preliminary examinations will be held for post-16 students in January and the results will inform decisions about the Summer entries.

At the end of November, we held our Presentation Evening for the Y11 students who sat their GCSE examinations last Summer and, as reported in an earlier edition of The Torch, achieved excellent results. Many of these students have progressed to our Sixth Form. It was lovely to welcome them together with the students who left us to pursue courses, training or employment elsewhere.

As always, the last two weeks of term have been exceptionally busy. Last week we enjoyed three performances of our pantomime “Robin Hood”, offering a slight variation to the more traditional story! The show played to very appreciative audiences. Congratulations to all the students involved in any way (on stage and behind the scenes), to the staff who undertook cameo roles and of course special thanks to Miss Anyon, Miss Bryce, Mr McHale and Mrs Hardwick in the Performing Arts faculty for all their hard work in writing, directing, choreography and producing the show.

On Thursday, we look forward to our annual Christmas Concert, where many of our gifted musicians and singers will have an opportunity to showcase their talents in a full programme of traditional and contemporary music. This is always a very popular and enjoyable evening which for many of us marks the beginning of Christmas.

All tutor groups are currently busy putting the finishing touches to their hampers for our annual Christmas Hamper competition. Once the judging has taken place, the hampers will be distributed to senior citizens living in the areas which the school serves and also to a few residential centres. With the incentive of a prize for the best hamper in each year group and a trophy for the “best in school”, staff and students have once again risen to the challenge and the results are amazing; please follow the link on the school website to view some photographs. The results of the judging will be announced in the next edition of The Torch.

It is with mixed emotions that I must also inform you that this will be my last year as Headteacher of Wath Comprehensive School as, after twelve years in the role (and almost twenty as a Headteacher), I have made the decision to retire from this fantastic role at the end of this school year. I will miss the school and everybody associated with it very much but am excited by the prospect of new opportunities and of course spending more time with my husband, family and friends. I will, of course, keep you informed of progress in appointing my successor which will begin in January.

Finally, may I take this opportunity of thanking you for your continued support and wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year.

Please note that the school reopens for staff and students on Monday 4 January.

Mrs P Ward

Headteacher

AGONY AUNT IS ON

THE MOVE...

Message from the Headteacher

Got a problem? Need advice? Wondering where the

box has gone? You can now submit your letters in the

library!

Our agony aunt will read your letters and give you

advice, whether it be about friendship circles,

problems with school work or anything else.

Please post your letters in the box inside the library

labelled ‘The Torch’. Thank you.

Right Care, First Time

Health services across Rotherham, including GP

practices, A&E and the Walk-In Centre, are currently

experiencing extreme pressure. Patients are being

urged to choose the right care for their symptoms and

help health services to help those most in need as

health services go through an extremely busy time.

Health services should be accessed in the following

order, when people feel ill:

1. Self-Care – looking after yourself by keeping a

well-stocked medicine cabinet is often the best

way to get better quickly and deal with day-to-

day illnesses.

2. Pharmacy (chemist) – for expert advice on

common illnesses and the best medicines to treat

them.

3. Ring NHS 111 – 24 hour helpline health enquiry

and advice

4. GP (doctor) – for illnesses that just don’t go away,

arrange to see your local doctor.

An essential medicine cabinet should include:

Pain relief such as paracetamol and aspirin

(aspirin should not be given to children under 16

or to people with asthma)

Children’s paracetamol oral suspension and

ibuprofen syrups – free from pharmacy if you

receive free prescriptions

Mild laxatives to relieve constipation

Cold relief products

Rehydration mixtures for diarrhoea or vomiting to

use after a bout of sickness or diarrhoea

Indigestion remedy

Travel sickness tablets for family trips

A thermometer to check for fever

A range of plasters, non-absorbent dressings, and

elastic bandages for sprains and bruises

With prescribed medicines and those bought over-the-

counter follow the advice of the pharmacist, doctor or

nurse. You should always read the instructions and

never go over the suggested dose.

To find your nearest pharmacy taking part in the

Pharmacy First scheme visit http://

www.rotherhamccg.nhs.uk/pharmacy-first.htm

News in Brief

European Day of Languages

In addition to the fantastic Eurovision competition

which was covered in The Torch last time, many other

exciting activities also took place, either on Thursday

24th or Friday 25th September.

There were exciting competitions such as a Super

Staff Challenge (won by Mrs Hopkins, Ms Shurdhi and

Mrs Hole), where they were challenged to try

speaking a foreign language for the day, and a tutor

language competition, where tutees have to identify

the language of 15 different versions of the word

‘hello’ (won by 9JK).

The team in Le Rendezvous, our school restaurant,

put together a fantastic European-themed lunch on

Friday with a delicious variety of food including

Spanish tortilla, German sausages, Italian spaghetti

Bolognese, Greek moussaka, Swedish meatballs,

French croissants and English fish and chips!

There was also a carousel for Y7 students to take part

in lots of fun European-themed activities from

identifying languages, flags and inventions to building

European monuments from straws and newspaper! A

great time was had by all involved!

Christmas Bookmark Competition

The library invited students to design a winter bookmark and there were some brilliant entries. The overall winners were Connor Thompson, and Libby Lister-Thompson, who were awarded prizes. Other entrants were Jack Lowton-Owen, Phoebe Key, Eliza Bailey, Tyler Moore, Kirsten Wiles and Abbie Lewis. Everyone who entered a design was awarded a merit and as the designs were so good we decided to print them all onto bookmarks which are available in the library.

Year 12 English Language Conference

On Friday, 11th December, Year 12 students studying A Level English Language attended a conference at Sheffield Hallam University. The conference – targeted at the new, more challenging, AQA A Level specification – enhanced students’ understanding of textual analysis, sociolects, national/regional varieties of English and attitudes to language diversity through presentations delivered by nationally-recognised experts in linguistics.

Latest Happenings from Sweet Smell of Science Success

By Charles Lord (Year 12), Savanna Davies (Year 7)

and Christian Cooper (Year 11)

Thursdays after school have been a little different for a

select group of Year 7 and 8 pupils recently… while most

people were walking home or getting the bus, several

science classrooms played host to the ‘Perfume Project’.

Over the past eight weeks, their challenge was to

produce a perfume, with packaging, to be presented to

the school’s “dragons”. This was an exciting enterprise

experience, perfectly mixing science and social skills,

that The Torch decided to get a sniff of.

On entering the lab, it was clear to see the passion and

enthusiasm on display and you could immediately tell

that this was a group of staff and pupils truly engrossed

and thoroughly enjoying themselves. The aim of the

project, a cross-curricular collaboration between several

departments, was to harness the passion displayed by

these pupils and ensure their drive for science, art and

technology was not lost as they began to settle into the

school.

So what were they actually doing? This simple question,

which we asked each group, provided us with several

very different answers. While expecting a simple

overview of the project, each group took us on a

sensory adventure, introducing us to the different

stages of perfumery. We were introduced to many a

scent you would expect to see lining the shelves this

Christmas season, with scents including, lavender, citrus

and a rather gritty male aftershave.

It was at this stage we realised the scale of the project

as we were made aware of each group’s infectious pride

in their product; had we been passing through looking

for a fragrance, we would not have been able to resist

the sales pitches employed in that science classroom on

that rainy Thursday afternoon. The feedback we

received was wholly positive with the experience a

resounding success. Products complete, it was time for

the pupils to begin marketing as their journey

continued.

We spoke to a team of year eight students, who called

themselves “MC Bros”, who told us a little bit about

their fragrance and how they came about it. Haydn told

us that his group’s fragrance, named “50-50”, is “sweet

and tangy, more of a boys’ scent.” It is “tangy and

different,” added Oliver. When asked about the

packaging of their fragrance, Zerkif said, “My favourite

part of the project was designing the packaging.” When

asked about his favourite part of the project, Haydn

said, “I really enjoyed the distillation and trying to find a

scent I liked.”

After the teams made the perfumes and the packaging,

they had to present what they had made to the

“dragons”. The groups timidly waited to go and see the

dragons and we watched in the presentation room, very

impressed by all of the entries, as were the judges. They

were particularly impressed by two students who put

forward their perfume on their own. Mr Grayel

described them as “very brave”.

Unfortunately, there could only be one winner: MC

Bros. Enjoy the sweet smell of success!

Cyberspace: Not all fun and games!

By Daniel Nutley, Year 7

On Friday 6th November in 5th and 6th period, Year 7

had a funny and engaging visitor called Rich Cottell, who

had come to speak to them about cyberbullying.

THE TORCH Journalists

This edition was produced by Bauble, Ceilli Briggs, Daniel Nutley, Lucy Redfern, Olivia Storey, Savanna Davies, Lauren Clack, Ellie Berridge, Ethan Corbett, Lauren Williams, Callam Manton, Hannah Stokes, Emily Balaiss, Aaron Duce, Molly Hammerton, James Jones, Eve Spurr, Mya Taylor, Nemesha Nelson, Christian Cooper, Shannon Hopwood, Charles Lord, Luke Stanley and Miss Taylor. Thanks also to Joshua Ramskill, Emily Loy, Aiden Quarmby, Emily Aston, Chad Hart, Frankie Leeson, Mr Bishop and Miss Perry.

If you are interested in helping to produce THE TORCH, come along to F24 on Thursday afternoons, 3-4 pm, or see Miss Taylor for more information.

inside the School Gates

As a newly found, talented singer, and a very funny

speaker, he presented to us an assembly full of songs,

jokes and general fun. The assembly itself was told to us

in a way we could really understand, including talking

about when he met Facebook founders and all about

his tour of the UK. But getting serious, he had had some

previous experiences, including social media and family,

that he didn’t want us to have to experience ourselves.

He also told us some heart touching stories that we

were really engrossed by and also a bit scared by. The

advice he gave was also good and very knowledgeable

from personal experience.

Ultimately, he advised us to use social media but use it

safely! Make sure all your profile on these accounts

such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are set to

private and friends only. He also said take things that

you would take as a joke in real life as a joke online.

Also, remember that those cartoon wonders emojis

show up differently on different devices so what show

up as one thing on an iPhone is different on an Android

device.

Ukulele Club

By Olivia Storey, Year 7

The ukulele club is run by the school’s fabulous Mr.

Smith. A music teacher, primarily, who used to teach

science as well. How amazing! All years are welcome

(even teachers). All beginners are given a chance to

learn all of the chords until they get a bit more

experienced.

At the moment, the club are learning to do Christmas

songs. Mr. Smith absolutely loves it when there are new

people willing to join. If you think that you love music

enough to give it a go then it is on Mondays after school

in F4 (a music room).

As more new people keep going, the club keeps

growing. Think about it.

Movement Evening 2016

Wath Comprehensive School is taking you on an extravagant journey back to the future.

Come join us on the 3rd, 4th and 5th February where the whole school will be entering Movement Evening fever 2016. This will be an engaging performance, taking you through time. It will include around 150 students and 20 staff members.

The show will commence at 6:30pm and last approximately two and a half hours including an interval where refreshments will be available. This show will consist of a variety of different dance styles and have elements of Acro that put you on the edge of your seat and Drama that will leave you wanting more. Head of Performing Arts department, Miss Anyon said: “Movement Evening is such a fantastic event because of how many students are involved; it’s such an inclusive event and it’s also really fun to create and be a part of.”

Tickets will be on sale Tuesday 12th January and will be available to purchase from PE1 at break times. All tickets for the events are priced at £4 and are on high demand…so don’t miss out!

Creative Zone: Seasonal Sagas

This month, students were asked to welcome in the festive period by writing their own minisagas (stories

with exactly 50 words) about the theme of Christmas.

Next month’s theme will be: Valentine Verse!

Write a poem of your choice about the theme of

love.

Winners will be published and receive

e-Praise Points!

Deadline: Thursday 28th January.

CHRISTMAS!!!

By Olivia Storey, Year 7

Tisn’t long until Christmas.

Mum says that Santa’s not ready.

I just think he’s being steady.

“Steady on! Steady on!”

He’ll be shouting to his reindeers:

“We’ve got lots of presents here!”

Rudolf will lead them to each good child’s house.

Pets get presents as well.

Even my pet mouse.

The boy who saved Christmas

By Ellie Berridge, Year 7

This year, whilst kids were sound asleep, Santa Claus was coming along to give them what they wished for. However, Santa Claus landed on a barn roof and broke his sleigh, and only one boy could help called Rider. He fixed the sleigh and Santa Claus was on his way.

Lola’s Dragontastic Christmas

By Savanna Davis, Year 7

As Lola walks around her dragon parent’s castle, she sees something she’s never seen before: a present! She sees the note, which says, “Dear Lola, have fun this Christmas with two things, your parents and this…”

She knows she isn’t allowed to open it, but she can’t help but wonder what is inside. All Lola wants to do is open that present but she has to wait till the next day (Christmas) and then she sees the present is a baby dragon! Its puppy-like eyes are adorable and she names it Crystal.

Christmas

By Lauren Clack, Year 7

Crackers cracking everywhere,

Hooves clip clopping up the stairs.

Rudolf coming to your door,

I want Christmas more and more

Santa and his big warm hugs,

Tinsel messing up the rugs.

My excitement just can’t wait,

And it’s time to celebrate.

Santa’s come! He’s come! he’s come! Come on mum! Run! Run! RUN!

Just Think

By Joshua Ramskill, Year 7

In a house

Far away

One day

A child got a bunch of hay

What a shame

On Christmas day

The boy was angry

And did not think

About the world

Starve and hunger

While you slumber

Don’t you wonder

About the hunger

Think about the hunger around the world

Christmas Surprise

By Aiden Quarmby, Year 7

It was 6:30AM on Christmas day when Thomas woke up. He looked out of his window and the road was covered in fresh untouched snow. As Thomas opened his door, he shouted, “It’s CHRISTMAS!” Then he ran down the stairs, singing, “Dashing through the snow.” But he only got... coal.

Stuck Santa

By Ethan Corbett, Year 7

One day, I woke up and ran downstairs but there were no presents. Had Santa forgotten us? I

Book of the Month

By Molly Hammerton, Year 8

This month’s book is Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton,

which was used as a base for the famous films. This

book follows the archaeologist, Alan Grant, and his

friend the palaeontologist (someone who studies

plants), Ellie Sattler. When the two of them receive a

phone call from John Hammond, inviting them to a

mysterious island off the coast of Costa Rica, they are

reluctant to come.

When they arrive on the island, they are joined by Ian

Malcolm, Donald Gennaro, Lex and Tim and are

astonished to find the island inhabited by dinosaurs.

They are entranced by the animals, but soon it’s not

fun and games, but becomes a battle for survival.

This is a really breath-taking novel that you will

struggle to put down. Heart racing adventures, death

defying situations and a lot of dinosaurs. I recommend

this book to the lovers of the films and dinosaurs.

walked to the chimney and stuck there was Santa! I tried pulling him. Finally, he came out. I made him run on a treadmill before sending him off to deliver presents.

Christmas on the Western Front

By Emily Loy, Year 7

They put down their guns and crossed into enemy lands. Simply because it was Christmas, the soldiers acted as a team and played football with no barriers, as if the whole world was at peace. But then the very day after, they started fighting again… We will remember them.

The Night Before Christmas

At Wath Comprehensive School

By Emily Aston, Year 7

‘Twas the night before Christmas,

When all through Wath School,

Not a teacher was shouting,

Everyone was cool.

The exercise books were put away with care,

In hope that, forever, they would stay there.

Christmas day was dawning,

With technology galore,

Gift vouchers and other things 21st century kids adore.

Suspense, action and a load of dinosaurs! Pick up this book now.

Behind the Scenes Gossip

By Hannah Stokes (Year 8) and Emily Balaiss (Year 8)

Over the last few nights, the panto has been filling

the school with laughter and fun. The cast have not

just been acting on stage, but have been having a

great time just practicing their lines and having a bit

of fun.

We interviewed several cast members to see what

they have been up to and if they are having fun. We

asked the same questions to the people for the

gossip and the fun.

Eve Spurr was playing part of the villager, who she

said was kind and innocent. When asked what it was

like to be in the panto, she said that it was fun to

watch it progress and that the people she was

working with were really nice. She said that she

would love the panto to be Cinderella next year.

Emily Balaiss had the part of a crusader and said

her character is brave and adventurous. She loved

being in the panto because it was fun and said the

people she was working with became like brothers

and sisters to her. She would love the panto next

year to be The Hunger Games.

Phillipa Mathews was also taking the part of a

crusader, and said that her character is strong and

brave. She said that being a part of the pantomime

was great because there was such a strong sense of

community. She also added that she really liked the

people in the scene and you get really close to

them. Next year, she hopes the play will be

Rapunzel.

I hope you bought your tickets because it’s Robin

Hood, and if you weren’t a part this year, why not

try out next year? You won’t regret it!

Panto Fever:

Boo hiss! Look out, Robin, the Sheriff of Nottingham is out to get you (above); Friar Tuck and his monks, amen (top right); behind the

scenes—looks much more exciting with the colourful costumes and gorgeous backdrops (top right); Robin and the Sheriff come face to

face… Will good triumph over evil (bottom right)?

Robin Hood

Review

Eve Spurr, Year 8

This year’s Panto, Robin Hood, was a showstopper. This

is the best word I can use to describe this awesome

interpretation of the Yorkshire tale, Robin Hood.

The actors were perfectly prepared and they created an

awe-inspiring atmosphere which enthralled their

audience, who were all ages. The actors and actresses

were fitted with make-up and costumes, which fit their

character and developed, over the few months since

the start of rehearsals, a personality which fitted their

character perfectly.

I was lucky to be an actress in the Pantomime because I

got to see the whole thing develop over the two

months of rehearsals and the four nights of performing.

Make sure you get your tickets next year!

Media and Lady C leaves the Jungle!

By Lauren Williams, Year 7

Recently, the well-known author and socialite, Lady

Colin Campbell, otherwise known as Lady C, left the

jungle on supposed ‘medical grounds’.

Some top magazines are debating the fact on why the

star actually left, as they are almost certain it is not for

these reasons. Many sources say, that in fact, she left

due to excessive, continuous bullying from Duncan

Bannatyne and Tony Hadley. After frequently informing

her fellow campmates, who she was more friendly with,

that the two men were expressing ‘extremely hypocrite

like behaviour’ and speaking only ‘verbal diarrhoea’, we

are led to believe that, perhaps, Lady C is telling the

truth.

However, after her recent departure from the Australian

celebrity jungle, we have discovered her campmates

aren’t the only ones she’s sharing her feelings with. TV

shows all over the country are firing out her different

beliefs, each time, telling their audience a large amount

of views. Although, as Duncan and Tony still remain in

the jungle at this date, they cannot prevent Lady C from

sharing her said-to-be fabled stories.

London MCM Comic Con

October 2015

By Shannon Hopwood, Year 11

All over the world, you can find a multitude of places

where fans of comics, movies, games and anime gather

each year to share their passion. These meetings are

called Comic Conventions, although this name is

generally shortened to Comic Cons. Some of them are

actually so popular that people from all over the world

have been known to travel for hours to get there. One

which I’m sure that most people have heard of is San

Diego Comic Con in America. As of yet, London MCM is

not quite that well-known, but this year, London MCM’s

convention saw 130,560 people pass through the doors

from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th of October. This

completely eclipsed the previous record of 122,600

attendees at this May’s Comic Con and the 110,200 at

last October’s show, officially making London Comic Con

the third biggest Comic Con in the world, behind the

huge shows in New York and San Diego.

While it did get very busy, it was amazing to be able to

feel the incredible atmosphere in and around the Excel

building, where the event was held. Everyone was

buzzing with excitement as they wandered around

throughout the weekend, trying to ignore their sore feet

and aching backs while looking for bargains. Everyone

that I spoke to was really nice and sociable, which made

my time there even more enjoyable.

Friday was the best day for those who just wanted to

take their time and look around, without having to force

their way through huge crowds of people. If Friday was

the most relaxed day, then Saturday was the most

hectic. Everyone was rushing around everywhere,

trying to get to the stalls or push through the centre of

the aisles. Even the train stations were overflowing on

the Saturday, with many people being forced to take up

Review

to four trains to get to their destination, rather than just

the couple that they had intended to take. Sunday,

while less crowded than Saturday, was still fairly busy.

However, this was because most vendors had special

offers on since it was the last day of the event. You

could get most things far cheaper than you could on the

other two days, making Sunday the best day for people

who had seen things that they wanted throughout the

rest of the weekend, but didn’t want to spend huge

amounts of money. Even I took advantage of the price

cuts and special offers, landing myself a set of six

posters for £20, rather than the original four.

Buying pricey merchandise wasn’t the only thing to do

at Comic Con. As usual, there was a wide array of

special guests from many forms of media. They had

guests from YouTube such as Hilly and Hannah Hindi,

Rooster Teeth and The Yogscast (who did a special

panel and gameshow). There were also guests, such as

Sylvester McCoy, who hailed from movies and

television series. Over the weekend, I was only able to

meet one guest, Todd Haberkorn, an anime voice actor

who was there every day. I met him on the Friday as it

was the least busiest day, and despite this, he ended up

staying for four hours after he was supposed to leave

because he refused to let down fans that had been

queueing to see him for several hours. I was quite lucky

as I was the last person to be able to meet him that day,

and I was able to get a hug from him. I don’t think I’ve

ever been any happier! Friday was definitely the best

day to meet guests as there were fewer people around

who wanted autographs, especially compared to

Saturday when some guests had fans queueing up right

across the main hall.

One of the best things there for the more social and

brave people were the cosplay meet-ups. At these

events, fans of the same show or genre all met up as a

huge group, chatted to each other and had

photoshoots. These were my favourite parts of the

weekend as I was able to talk to others who were

interested in the same things as me and have a great

time with other like-minded people. I went to all three

Fairy Tail Meet-ups and it was honestly fantastic. I’d

met up with other cosplayers before, but never on this

sort of scale. As usual, Saturday was the busiest, but for

the meets, that was a good thing. Sunday came in a

close second, with Friday having the smallest ones.

Overall, the weekend was one of the best experiences

of my life and I loved every back-breaking moment of it!

I returned every night exhausted, but elated. The entire

experience was nothing short of amazing and I look

forward to going again next year!

Amy Winehouse is back

By Ellie Berridge, Year 7

The news is here: all of Amy’s secrets are going to be

revealed in the new film where you can find out

everything about her, even when she was aged 11,

singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her elder sister. Also, in the

film, her last words to the public were: “I would really

give up everything to walk the street again.” However,

now she’s had her time of fame, she’s gone to peace,

away from the evil and up above with the good.

Panic in Paris

By Nemesha Nelson, Year 10

On 13th November, 2015, a series of mass shootings,

hostage-takings and suicide bombings

occurred in Paris and its northern suburb, Saint-Denis,

starting at 21:20 CET.

There were three suicide bombings outside the Stade de

France (the national French football stadium), along with

a mass shootings and several other suicide bombings at

four other locations around Paris. The worst attack,

however, occurred in the Bataclan Theatre, where

hostages were taken, leading to a stand-off between

police and the attackers that lasted until 00:58am on the

14th.

As of now, 129 are confirmed dead, with 89 of them

from the Bataclan Theatre; 352 others have been

admitted to hospital with various injuries, with 80 of

them described as in a critical state. Only 7 of the known

attackers were injured in the initial event.

On 18th November, suspected leader of the attacks, Ab-

delhamid Abaaoud, was killed by police on his property

in Saint-Denis. At least one other suspect was killed dur-

ing the raid, and eight others were arrested.

The so-called Islamic State has since claimed

responsibility for these attacks; in response, Francois

Hollande, the French President, has declared war.

“They will never succeed in destroying the French soul,”

Hollande claimed in an official response to the tragedy.

“Terrorism will not destroy the Republic, because the

Republic will destroy it.”

Europe United

By Daniel Nutley, Year 7

Following Nemesha’s article on the disastrous Paris

attacks, France and England united on Tuesday 17th of

November to sing La Marseillaise (the French national

anthem) ahead of the football match between them.

Coach Roy Hodgson said before the game that it will not

be a “normal friendly” after the Paris attacks. Aside from

all of the big media build up, the game was never about

the football; it was more to do with showing that we are

united and that England will stand with Paris and France

throughout this hard time.

When the two teams united to sing the national anthem

of France, they stood around the centre circle next to

players from the opposition team.

However, when the game got going, England saw an

amazing top corner strike from Tottenham youngster

Dele Alli and a spectacular volley to make it two from

long time serving Wayne Rooney. The end result was 2-0

to England. There were no dirty challenges in the game

which showed solidarity.

Toxic Mud

By Lucy Redfern, Year 7

Earlier this year, several towns in Brazil were destroyed

by some toxic mud, caused by a dam that collapsed. The

town of Bento was left in desolation, forcing them to be

pushed into temporary accommodation. Police are not

sure just how big of an impact this incident has caused

but are going to investigate thoroughly at the end of

summer 2016.

Thick red mud polluted an enormous area of the Atlantic

Ocean and the wave of ultimate poison

destroyed all in its path. The wave was created after a

British dam at an iron-ore construction collapsed and its

pollution spilled down to the Rodrigues River. It is

particularly bad for plants and animals because sea

Politics and Current Affairs:

Wath Students Speak Out creatures have been rapidly dying , which is worrying for

some fishermen who can only catch one or two fish per

day.

At least 8 people were killed and 11 are missing. This is

scary to most people and police are ensuring that an

incident like this with dams will never happen again. To

do this, they are already putting borders on some rivers,

so that if a dam collapses then it will not spill into the

seas and oceans.

Pro-Skating Animals!

By Lauren Williams, Year 7

Otto the bulldog and an unnamed skate boarding goat

have left both Britain and Peru astounded. The two

made jaw dropping impressions when they both arrived

at their different skating locations. Otto, the three year

old bulldog, broke a Guinness World record, after skating

through the legs of thirty people, the world’s longest

human tunnel; and being cheered on by a vast,

astonished crowd. Then, he was presented with a

certificate at the site of the occurrence in Peru, where

he successfully broke the record. As for the goat, it also

broke a record to do with skateboarding, which in the

photo looks extremely comedic.

The Age Conspiracy

By Nemesha Nelson, Year 10

Does birth order have something to do with personality?

Apparently not, but scientific studies have found that the

birth order of siblings does have something to do with

intelligence. The older a sibling is, the smarter they are,

according to recent tests. Older siblings are also more

likely to agree with statements like ‘I understand new

things quickly’ than younger siblings.

However, age isn’t everything. Studies have also shown

that the younger siblings are healthier than older

siblings. It turns out that older siblings are more likely to

suffer from type one diabetes than their younger

counterparts, and are also more likely to develop health

complications and diseases.

Word of the Year

Lauren Clack, Year 7

We all love the emoji and it looks like the Oxford English

Dictionary does too: they have chosen the ‘tears of joy’

emoji as their word of the year 2016. But why?

Emojis are everywhere. We use them every day and

the OED has caught on to this. Emojis are helpful,

because, when we are in a rush or can’t battle with

spellcheck any longer, we can just use our emoji to

describe how we are feeling. Believe it or not, this is

surprisingly easy due to the many updates to Apple

devices.

Some people, however, believe that emojis are bad for

the children of our generation. There may as well be no

meaning for the word ‘socialization’, because our

generation are known for texting more than actually

talking. People have said that they have had to drag their

children outside to get some fresh air.

In conclusion, I think it is very good that the OED has

chosen this emoji for their word of the year, because it

may intrigue the teens and tweens of our generation to

actually look up from their phone and enjoy life for

once… but are they used too much? … :-/

Who would have thought

that such a small bauble

of pixels could cause such

a divide in opinions?

Love or hate them, there’s

no denying it: emojis are

here to stay.

Top Five Movies Of 2015

1. Antman

The movie that makes ants look

EPIC and makes humans

pathetic. The movie really brings

out the best in the actors.

2. Hotel Transylvania 2

The amazing sequel to Hotel

Transylvania, Bleh Bleh Bleh! Can

Dracula’s life get better. Yes, it

can with a grandson called

Dennis and a human-loving

father.

3. The Lion Guard

Have you seen the Lion King?

Well, this is the Lion Guard. A

small movie which doesn’t take

place in the story (I think).

4. Minions

King Bob!!! The only English

understandable in the film,

which is a downfall, sadly.

5. Star Wars

In a galaxy far, far away (not

really). The movie everyone is

waiting for!

After the preview to the critics on Wednesday, the

21st of October in London, Spectre is already

receiving the five star reviews from the critics.

What is your opinion? Would you like to see Daniel

Craig do a fifth Bond film?

The Jack the Ripper Case

By Molly Hammerton, Year 8

Loads of you will probably have heard of the

infamous Jack the Ripper, but not many of us

actually know much about the case. The only thing

most people know about the famous murderer is

that he was never caught and the case was never

solved…

Picture Victorian London, a sickly smelling place

where the streets are crowded with the poor, sick

and injured. Crime is found in every street. In the

town, there’s a street called Whitechapel. Crime is

frequently found here. A perfect place for a murder.

That’s what he thought. A woman named Mary Ann

Nichols walks through the streets, late at night,

alone. A man dressed in black comes up behind her

and stops her screaming. This was the first murder.

Four more murders were found in that area of the

city and no clue or murderer was ever found, except

once… After the murder of Catherine Eddowes, the

police (Scotland Yard and City of London Police, who

did not work well together on the case) found, as

they were scouring the area, a piece of cloth that

had blood smeared on it (it was later confirmed that

it was part of Eddowes’ apron) outside a door that

had writing on that said, ‘The Juwes are the men that

will be blamed for nothing.’ This might have been

key to catching the killer. But the police decided to

wash off the top line before the police photographer

could take the picture.

Even though the police wiped away evidence, it

would have been difficult to catch Jack as in Victorian

times, especially in Whitechapel, the roads were like

dark mazes and the murderer could have used them

to escape from the crime scene quicker. They also

did not lock the doors so the Ripper could have

either hidden in the house or escaped through the

back door. Whatever happened, the case is still

Daniel Craig says no more Bond… By Aaron Duce, Year 8

The actor Daniel Craig has said that he will not do a fifth

Bond film after the new release Spectre. He starred in four

Bond films, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and

Spectre.

open...

The Marvels of the Skies

By Ethan Corbett, Year 7

The colour of shooting stars, or meteors, is determined

by two factors: the chemical composition of the

meteoroid and the interaction of its atoms with the

molecules in the atmosphere.

The atoms in the meteoroid emit light because they are

heated up by entering the atmosphere, and so they

burn and release different wavelengths of light, or

different colours, in the same way that putting different

compounds into fireworks makes them explode in

different colours.

In simple terms, it’s about what it’s made out of plus

what path it is on, like in Science when you burn

chemicals to see their colour. The meteor burns in the

atmosphere, making it a certain colour.

Politics Hit Parliament

By Frankie Leeson and Luke Stanley, Year 13

On Thursday 10th December the Year 12 and 13 Politics

and History students visited London. After a McDonalds

breakfast, the group arrived at the British Museum.

Here we saw many amazing sights, such as the

sarcophagus of Cleopatra and the Rosetta Stone. The

group then spent a few hours in Covent Garden, doing

some Christmas shopping and stopping for lunch. The

afternoon was spent on a walking tour of London,

where we saw Nelson’s Column, the Cenotaph and, of

course, 10 Downing Street. Unfortunately, David was

not at home. We then arrived at Parliament where the

group were able to witness a live debate in the

Commons on the Human Rights Act. We ended the day

with a workshop on electoral systems where we saw

first-hand the impact proportional representation has

on our government. All in all, a long, but extremely

enjoyable day!

C Y W Y O T R E I N D E E R C M L Y T H

Y D X N F U U R P I J S O R K R C U I X

S K R Q M I J C H R I S T M A S R F X R

L Z B F A S O X Y J R N E N I K A V V U

P C Z O R T O L L M M L L A E K C C O A

R M Y K F F C A D B G V T Y K S K R J W

O A U U Y Q T P S X H N S I U Z E K O G

N Q I Y G M V P H O A J I W V Z R R Y E

Q K A X B K K A F S V U M K D L S L P O

M U N L O J P D B H Q S N O C C L V U H

W C W U F N K V J N C W D W L O Y R A U

P T U Q B C C Z O B A I J I J G T N K M

M E P W M X K Q Y L I M X L A S J S S M

V B X J Y N D W W N C P E L F U M J F R

G X Z H R T L N S Z V Z N G J U C N U E

G O O I O O B S Z U C N H Y P H D E W Y

B W O Z A J J V V D U S F B Z M Y Y H W

D M N X Z E W S O W U H B B K W B Z Z I

I N Q W O Q J Y P U K P T A O T Q U F Y

U M E J Y V X B M W F F Y X X A B Y T R

CHRISTMAS

CRACKERS

JOLLY

JOY

MISTLETOE

PRESENTS

REINDEER

SANTA

STOCKING

TURKEY

Christmas Word Search

Can you find all the words? Bring a completed word search to Miss Taylor to receive an

e-Praise point.

Many bright baubles of light.

Sport and Music

By Anonymous

It was Wigan vs Barnsley, in the Johnstone Paint Trophy area semi-final on Saturday 5th December. The game finished at full time 2-2, but ended 4-2 to Barnsley on penalties.

Two former Barnsley players, Craig Davies and David Perkins, missed their penalties. The Barnsley fans were setting off smoke bombs and singing and chanting throughout the game. The Wigan fans only sung when they scored, the Barnsley fans out sang all through the game. The noise was deafening.

Barnsley was the best team throughout the game, Wigan didn’t look strong at all. Adam Hammill scored a goal to put Barnsley 1-0 up in the second half, and Will Grigg scored to make it 1-1. Then, Ivan Toney scored a header to make it 2-1 to Barnsley. Will Grigg scored his second of the game to make it 2-2 , and then it was full time. It was now down to penalties.

Wigan was the first to take the penalty. Will Grigg took it and scored, and then Connor Houraine took it for

them and scored again. It was 1-1 on penalties.

Craig Davies took it and missed the penalty, but then Sam Winnall scored and made it 2-1. David Perkins took it and missed then Alfie Mawson took it and scored and made it 3-1. Barnsley needed Wigan to miss to win, but Reece James took it and scored: it was 3-2. My heart was in my mouth. If Adam Hammill scored, they would win it. With a smash at the back of the net, he did it and they won 4-2 on penalties.

Barnsley are now in the area final between Fleetwood and Morecambe, who will play on Tuesday 8th December. Whoever wins that important game, will be playing Barnsley in the area final - it will be a two leg game, and one more step closer to Wembley stadium in London, to play either Millwall, Southend United, Oxford United or Yeovil.

Whoever wins between Millwall and Southend will play either Oxford or Yeovil in the southern area final, while Barnsley will play either Fleetwood or Morecambe in the northern final. It will get announced on the Tuesday 8th December. I can’t wait.

Last half term, Wally and Hubert both

found themselves in the P.Y.L office.

Wally and Hubert got off with a warning. A

week passed, and Wally still felt sad.

He decided to seek the help

of Agony Ant.

I feel sad, me and my

best friend have fallen out over

a girl, yet I still love her.

Don’t worry, Wally.

It will be okay in the end.

There are many more

Wombats in the outback,

and Porpoises in the sea.

All you have to do is find

the right one.

In science the next day, Wally walked

into class and saw the most beautiful

wombat ever. Her name was Wisteria.